How much do drafters make in 2026?
Drafters are reported here under SOC 17-3011, architectural and civil drafters, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $66,150 a year, or $31.80 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $46,260 to $99,710 across 103,700 workers. This is a broad match, because BLS splits drafting across several codes by discipline: architectural and civil sit here, while mechanical, electrical and electronics drafters are counted separately with different medians. The single largest pay variable inside this row is not tenure but toolset. A drafter producing two-dimensional documentation from an engineer's markups sits in the bottom quartile; one who models in Revit or Civil 3D, understands coordination and clash detection, and can produce a coordinated model that the whole project team works from sits in the top quartile. Discipline matters too, with civil and infrastructure drafting generally paying above architectural. The role is also a genuine entry route into technical careers, since many designers, BIM coordinators and project engineers started at a drafting board or its modern equivalent. BLS projects 4.1% growth through 2034 with roughly 10,000 openings a year. → Full drafter career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $66,150 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Drafters earn a national median $66,150/yr ($31.80/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-3011); the P10 to P90 range is $46,260 to $99,710.
- BLS splits drafting by discipline, and this row is architectural and civil drafters specifically, so mechanical and electrical drafting figures come from different codes.
- Modelling capability rather than tenure sets position in the band: Revit and Civil 3D competence with coordination experience is what separates the top quartile from the bottom.
- Drafting remains a working entry route into design, BIM coordination and project engineering roles, which is a large part of its value beyond the wage itself.
US Drafter Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do drafters earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 17-3011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-3011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a drafter earn at each career stage?
Drafting pay follows modelling capability and coordination responsibility. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 17-3011.
By State
Which states pay drafters the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 17-3011 multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Drafting demand follows construction and infrastructure activity, so a state's capital programme matters more than its general wage level, and much of this work is now performed remotely for firms in other states.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($76,070), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay drafters the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. Infrastructure drafting in particular follows public capital spending, which does not track metro cost indices at all.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a drafter’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does drafter pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Drafters sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify drafter wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a drafter actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Drafter Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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